The Genius Who Stained Her Hands
Mom: Jieun, are you okay?
Me: Huh? Why all of a sudden?
Mom: I’m just worried about you, that’s all.
Me: Eh, I’m totally fine! You don’t need to worry.
Mom: That’s a relief, then... Stay strong, my daughter. Mom thinks you’re the coolest person ever.
“…….”
Jieun stared blankly at her phone screen. She couldn't figure out how to reply. The only things that came to mind were:
1. Right, I *am* the coolest.
2. Oh, come on, what was so cool about me?
Neither felt quite right. Answering with number one didn't feel true to how she felt about herself, and number two sounded too much like low self-esteem. In the end:
Me: Yeah haha thanks! Love you mom
Me: ♡
That was all she could manage—a trite, predictable response. She let out a sigh.
“Ugh, look at me, being so pathetic.”
She had known, deep down, that she would be eliminated eventually. There were too many monsters here, people whose talent made her feel like she didn't even have the right to compete. Of course, the day had come sooner than she expected, but what really tormented Jieun wasn't the fact that she was being eliminated.
It was just... whenever she watched the others, whenever she saw them staring at their scripts as if possessed by something, she often wondered: Had she ever acted with her whole heart like they did?
‘Well, honestly, no.’
Jieun was a genius. Or, to be precise, she had been called a genius since she was young. At the acting academy she attended as a hobby, she was able to perform better than people who had been learning for months, sometimes years, in just a few days. Thanks to that, she eventually prepared for the theater and film department entrance exams, and she became the top-ranked applicant with ease. And throughout that entire process... Jieun had never once tried hard enough to feel like it was "difficult." She had always done just enough, and the results followed.
Suddenly, the words of her professor came to mind.
—Jieun. Do you know what your problem is?
—Um... I’m not sure.
—Everything has always come too easily for you.
—It wasn’t *that* easy....
—But you’ve never hit a real wall, have you? I hope you go out there and get knocked around a bit.
I hope you get properly shattered once. The professor had said that with a hearty laugh.
‘Well, I’ve certainly been shattered now.’
Jieun stared blankly at the script. Black ink on white paper. Or was it the other way around? Anyway.
Her mind was too cluttered for the words to sink in. She turned on her phone, and:
These were the only kinds of comments she could see. Jieun let out a dry laugh.
Back at university, she had only ever heard praise about how good she was, but to be treated like this here...
What frustrated her most was that she had no argument against those words. Even in her own mind, she didn't have anything that stood out more than anyone else. No acting prowess, no unique charm, nothing at all...
‘I can’t go out like this.’
She had to show them something. Like Park Moonhyun and Justin, she had to make her final exit definitive. The one fortunate thing was that the stage for her was already perfectly set. She was certain of it: her death would be far more spectacular and provocative than those of Park Moonhyun or Justin.
How did she know that when the script hadn't even come out yet? That was thanks to a secret Jieun knew.
Jieun knew who the culprit was that killed Justin.
‘Everyone thinks it’s Yeonwoo unni.’
Because she was a psychopath and a serial killer, the atmosphere was that it was obvious. If it wasn't her, maybe it was Kim Sunwoo. That was the extent of the "twists" they were considering. But they were all wrong. During the last round, Jieun had a scene she filmed separately with Justin. A scene filmed for episode 3.
—Hey! You! Stop! Don’t go, just come in here!
When everyone was moving to their respective rooms to vote, Justin saw Yoo Jieun through the half-closed door and called her over.
—U, untie this for me. It’s too tight. It hurts! If you, if you leave me like this, My mom’s gonna be very angry. So, yeah?
—...Don't you think you should apologize to me first?
—Apologize? For what?
And Justin wore a blank expression.
Yoo Jieun realized it then. Justin had completely forgotten that he had even lunged at her in the first place.
That was the moment the resentment she had been suppressing exploded.
—Why... why does everyone do that to me?
—Hey, *cough*, you, *kuh*, what is it. You, d, do you think my mom will just sit by!? Huh!? *sob*...
—I... I have a mom too. Don’t ignore me. I’m not just a "hey." I have a name, I feel pain too, and I... I too———!
Yoo Jieun squeezed Justin’s neck. She might not have had the intention to kill him. But when she came to her senses, what lay before Yoo Jieun was Justin, his tongue lolling out and his head slumped. Looking at such a Justin... Yoo Jieun fled to her room with a pale face.
And immediately after,
—Player Justin has been eliminated.
—Due to an early elimination, there will be no voting today.
The familiar broadcast played. Yes. That was it.
The one who killed Justin was none other than Yoo Jieun.
“Sunwoo-ssi. It’s Sunwoo-ssi, right? The one who killed Justin?”
“...Yes?”
What was this nonsense? Sunwoo turned to look at Yeonwoo with an absurd expression. She was looking at him with sparkling eyes, as if she knew everything.
“I thought it was Yeonwoo-ssi.”
“Hmm, it’s not me though....”
“Are you saying that on purpose right now?”
“Sunwoo-ssi, you’re the one pretending not to be, right?”
“It’s really not me.”
“Me neither.”
Suspicious glares exchanged between them. Watching the two of them play this game of wits, Minhee shook her head.
“They’re really scary. One of those two is the culprit, right?”
“...R, right. I wonder who it really is~.”
Jieun hurriedly nodded. Fortunately, Minhee didn't seem to suspect anything in particular.
‘How long do I have to hide this?’
Park Myungjin had pleaded with Jieun while filming this scene. He wanted the other actors to naturally discover the truth, and he didn't want her to tell them in advance. Jieun finally understood how Hollywood stars bound by non-disclosure agreements must feel. Her mouth was itching. She wanted to say it.
It’s me. I killed Justin. I am the terrifying murderer of this [Room]!
‘...Well, not quite that far.’
And that was when it happened. Jieun, who had been lost in thought, made eye contact with Yeonwoo. And she got goosebumps. It was a strange look. Should she call it the look of a snake watching a frog? It was one of the reasons she found Yeonwoo difficult. Her gaze was too scary. The problem was that Yeonwoo was already approaching her. Yeonwoo peered at Jieun.
“......”
“......”
“......?”
“......?”
“......!”
“W, why, why are you doing that!?”
“It was Jieun, wasn’t it?”
“...Y, yes? What is?”
“The one who killed Justin.”
Yeonwoo nodded as if she finally understood. Jieun’s heart sank, but Yeonwoo didn't care and asked,
“What is it. Why did you kill him?”
“Wait, wait, what is this?”
Minhee, who had been listening, frowned as if she didn't understand.
“Why would Jieun kill Justin?”
“I wondered why she would kill him too, but looking at Jieun’s expression, I think it’s right?”
“I, I, I didn’t kill him!”
“Yeah, I know. I understand everything.”
“I, I really didn’t kill him....”
Overwhelmed by the momentum, Jieun muttered, looking down. Somehow, she felt like if she made eye contact, she would end up admitting to the charge. She didn't have the confidence to overcome that pressure.
But fortunately, she didn't need to overcome that pressure.
“The script is here!”
The rest of the third episode had finally arrived. If they read this, they would know the true culprit who killed Justin.
Ironically, within the work, the one who notices Jieun’s murder first... is none other than Yeonwoo.
What followed this was a scene where Yoo Jieun vomits into the toilet while recalling the situation where she killed Justin. A scene that confirms Yoo Jieun killed Justin.
Thanks to this, the others reading the script were:
“...It was you?”
“Wow, Jieun, you... you really didn't say a word until now.”
“It’s scary, it’s scary...!”
Everyone couldn't help but be shocked. That was the same for Sunwoo. When Yeonwoo approached Jieun and asked, "You killed him, right?", he wondered why she was acting like that again, but...
‘It was true?’
Sunwoo had also naturally thought that Yeonwoo was the one who killed Justin. It seemed he had underestimated Ryu. Was she really not going to go for such an obvious development?
For Sunwoo, it was certainly a shocking event. Because Yoo Jieun was a character closely related to Kim Sunwoo. In episode 2, there was even a scene like this:
Yoo Jieun: Ajusshi, do you know? That the college entrance exam is next week.
Kim Sunwoo: ...I suppose so.
Yoo Jieun: But... the moment I found out I was trapped here, I had that thought too. Ah, it’s actually a relief. I was worried about what would happen if I failed again this time... at least I don’t have to worry about failing the exam now.
Kim Sunwoo: No, you’ll do well.
Yoo Jieun: ...The exam?
Kim Sunwoo: Yes, Jieun-ssi will go out, take the exam... get a good score, and go to the university you wanted. So... don’t worry too much.
Yoo Jieun: (Tearing up, she buries her head between her knees) ...Thank you, Ajusshi.
He didn't think Kim Sunwoo’s comfort had completely soothed Yoo Jieun’s heart. He had thought it would at least steady her mental state to some degree, but... was it far from enough? In the end, she had even stained her hands with blood. He could think of it as simply something happening in a drama, but perhaps because he had been immersing himself by triggering Kim Sunwoo’s color bubbles every day... he felt as if a heavy stone had dropped into a corner of his heart.
It was unsettling enough that Yoo Jieun was dying, but to think she had gone through such a terrible thing before she left.
But at the same time,
‘...Why is this like this?’
Sunwoo saw Kim Sunwoo’s color bubbles boiling more intensely. The familiar lava-like red color writhing continuously. Sunwoo let out a dry laugh. It was because his heart had felt it before his head could understand what it meant.
‘In this situation?’
Kim Sunwoo was realizing life once again. As much as he empathized with Yoo Jieun’s situation and plight... he was realizing anew how brilliant the life he had tried to throw away was. In a way, this game itself was becoming a kind of depression treatment program for him. A treatment program that made him realize and desire life.
‘When I actually act with Jieun... what will it feel like?’
Just imagining it made his heart race. As Kim Sunwoo’s character changed this time, Sunwoo’s acting had grown a step further. He could resonate with the colors of other characters... and create a synergy effect.
The better the other person’s acting, the more Kim Sunwoo’s color would be able to live and breathe, right?
In that respect, the person Sunwoo was looking forward to most right now was Yoo Jieun.
Even this sorrow of Yoo Jieun was helping Kim Sunwoo realize life. Because every struggle for life was reaching Kim Sunwoo as an immense stimulus. If so, if he found out that this Yoo Jieun had actually killed someone... and even if she were murdered later, what would Kim Sunwoo feel at that moment?
It might sound a little strange to say it like this, but he wanted to see it quickly. He couldn't help it. He had already imagined it.
How beautiful her end would be.